The present invention pertains to paint rollers. More particularly, the present invention pertains to an articulated paint roller assembly which permits a painter to easily rotate the angle of a paint roller associated with an elongated shaft.
Commercially available paint rollers consist of a one-piece angular rolling frame shaft which is interconnected to a handle at one end and an axle cage over which the disposable roller may be placed at the other end. The roller is usually perpendicular to the handle. Many painters prefer to use paint rollers rather than brushes as paint rollers are generally easier to use than brushes. For example, more paint can be loaded onto the paint roller than a brush and paint rollers do not leave brush strokes. Moreover, paint rollers paint a broader area per stroke than brushes.
In operation, the paint roller is immersed in paint so as to cover the outer cylindrical surface of the paint roller. The painter then applies the paint to a wall or other surface by pressing and rolling the paint roller across the surface to be painted.
The traditional paint roller is satisfactory for large flat surfaces, however, the traditional paint roller has drawbacks when painting near the floor or ceiling and when approaching corners between walls and the ceiling and other awkward areas. In this regard, the paint roller is unable to paint within the corners because the fixed roller pivots away from the wall at awkward angles, resulting in uneven painting and at times requiring the use of paint brushes to finish the painting job. Oftentimes, the painter must kneel down on the floor or stand on a ladder to position himself or herself at an angle in which the paint roller may be rolled flush with the painting surface. These problems are also encountered when painting gables, dormers, and other exterior facia boards.
Various attempts have been made to solve these problems by devising paint rollers which are angularly adjustable. However, these attempts all suffer drawbacks in that they are all complicated and time consuming. Many require the laborious manual loosening and adjusting of mechanisms associated with the paint roller to set the angle of the paint roller for each angle to be painted. Some of these devices require the use of tools in order to loosen, or even dismantle, the device before readjustment. The very specific angle selected may prevent the painter from reloading the paint roller with paint without first readjusting the device to its original orientation.
Therefore, what is needed is a paint roller assembly that is articulated so as to enable the rotation of the paint roller relative to a handle shaft, in order to facilitate painting near floors, ceilings and corners. Such an articulated assembly should be adjustable without the need of tools or the repeated manual loosening and readjustment of mechanisms. The present invention fulfills these needs and provides other related advantages.
The present invention resides in a paint roller assembly that is articulated so as to permit the painter using the assembly to easily adjust the angle and position of the paint roller relative to a handle shaft, facilitating painting of large flat surfaces as well as awkward areas such as areas near floors, ceilings and corners. The paint roller assembly generally comprises an elongated shaft, an articulated paint application assembly disposed at one end of the shaft, and an actuator connected to the articulated paint application assembly and extending through the shaft to a handle at an opposite end of the shaft.
The articulated assembly includes a roller frame interconnected between a joint mechanism and a roller supporting cage. The joint mechanism provides rotational movement of the roller frame. In one form of the invention, the joint mechanism comprises a universal joint. In another form, the joint mechanism comprises miter gears each having radial teeth which interfit so as to provide rotation to one gear in response to rotation of another.
The actuator comprises a rod interconnected between the handle and the joint mechanism of the articulated paint application assembly. The handle has an inner diameter slightly greater than an outer diameter of the shaft so as to overly the shaft, at least in part, and rotate about the shaft to activate the actuator.
Rotation of the handle causes movement of the articulated paint application assembly. More particularly, rotating the handle causes the attached rod to rotate resulting in the rotation of the roller frame. In this way the roller can be rotated to the necessary angle and allowed to pivot in response to awkward angles.
Preferably, a portion of the shaft adjacent the articulated paint assembly is angled to facilitate wetting of the roller with paint. The joint mechanism is disposed within the angled portion of the shaft in order to provide rotational interplay between the roller frame and inner rod as described.
Other features and advantages of the present invention will become apparent from the following more detailed description, taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings which illustrate, by way of example, the principles of the invention.